Policy In The United States: The History Of Affirmative Action

Master Plan for Higher Education Your Name Your Institution of Affiliation March 13, 2018 Introduction One of the most heavily debated policies in the United States’ Educational system is that of Affirmative action. By definition, Affirmative action is “an active effort to improve employment or educational opportunities for members of minority groups and for women” (Encyclopædia Britannica, 2017). On one hand, proponents of the policy argue that through it, racial equality and integration could be fostered. This has been the primary goal of the policy as it started during the 1960s (National Public Radio, 2014). On the other hand, opponents of the policy state that instead of becoming a catalyst for equality, the policy neglects the very principle of meritocracy, which (at times) denies deserving students slots in universities to fulfill some kind of quota. Knowing these, the policy has incited a lot of attention and legal actions as different institutions wanted to gauge its effectiveness and find better alternatives. These days, the policy is still being used in many states, with the exception of “California, Washington, Michigan, Nebraska, Arizona, and Oklahoma that banned the policy through voter referenda” (Potter, 2014). Despite the limited number of states who have banned it, it should be noted that several states and universities themselves are aware of both its benefits and its pitfalls, with most of these institutions applying a kind of ‘watered down’ version, that ideally aims for the best. As for the author of this article, he believes that despite the Supreme Court’s ruling that imposes certain restrictions on this practice, there are still plenty of times that the policy on affirmative action could go wrong. However, this does not mean that affirmative actions should be banned. Rather, this policy should be complemented with other efforts to be able to utilize its effectiveness, without sacrificing equality in the process. In the succeeding sections of this article, a discussion about the policy’s history, applications, and ideas would be expounded. After this, the benefits and pitfalls of the policy would then be analyzed in the context of recent student publications on the matter. Lastly, possible alternatives on how to ensure racial integration and equality – without defeating the very purpose that it serves – would be discussed. The History of Affirmative Action The policy on Affirmative action was conceived during the administration of President Lyndon Johnson, at around 1963- 1969. This has been in line with the series of Civil Rights initiatives created to further bolster racial equality amongst the whites and the blacks during the time. As a legislation, the policy on affirmative action was passed via an executive order in 1965, under the wing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Encyclopædia Britannica, 2017). During its conception, the policy was meant to encompass everything from work-related issues, utilization of public services, provisions of resources, and education. However, our main focus in this article would be an education. As of today, the policy of affirmative action in universities has been very fruitful to an extent that it reduced both intended and unintended discrimination...